Coral Sea Reef Guide [Library Binding]

Bob Halstead (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...contains species descriptions of all the groups of reef life the diver or snorkeler will be interested in... -- Nudibranch News Volume 2 June 2000

...the perfect identification guide for the diver who only wants to carry one book in his dive bag. -- California Diving News - January 2001 Issue

...this is a must have and use book for all folks with an appreciation for the living seas. -- Robert Fenner, Wet Web Media.com

About the Author

Inspired by the adventures of Hans and Lotte Hass, Bob Halstead learned to dive in 1968. He emigrated to Australia in 1973 and was employed as an Education Officer in the then Territory of Papua and New Guinea teaching Science and Mathematics. By luck he was posted to Milne Bay, one of the best diving areas in the world. With his wife Dina, he gave up school teaching in 1977 and formed PNG's first full time sport diving business. Bob and Dinah set out to systematically explore PNG's underwater paradise, and to study and photograph its marine life.

Their first dive boat was the 10 metre "Solatai" which they used to run camp and dive Scuba Safaris. Later they graduated to a live-aboard dive boat operation with the 20 metre dive charter vessel, the "Telita". Bob has cruised Telita throughout all the coastal regions of PNG and has made over 7,000 dives in the process. He has also discovered several marine species new to science. A fish, Trichonotus halstead, was named after Bob and Dina in 1996. He has won many gold medals in international underwater photographic competitions, including Australasian Underwater Photographer of the year 1983, and has published numerous popular and technical articles on diving and marine life, and six previous books including, in 1999, The Coral Reefs of Papua New Guinea for the European Union, and the Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Guide to PNG, with Tim Rock.

The author now lives in Australia near Cairns, Queensland, and regularly dives the whole Coral Sea region.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 321 pages
• Publisher: Sea Challengers Natural History (July 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970057407
• ISBN-13: 978-0970057402
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Coral Sea Reef Guide, March 25, 2009

By 

S. Ross (British Columbia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coral Sea Reef Guide (Library Binding)

I was searching for a book to help identify all the non fish creatures we took photos of on our dive trip to the Coral Sea. This book has all of it including the fishes and includes the common names as well as the latin names. Another book I looked at had only the latin names. Great Reference book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential if you are diving near Australia, January 23, 2011

By 

W. David McGuinn Jr. (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Coral Sea Reef Guide (Library Binding)

Many Americans could not find the Coral Sea on a map, even many who scuba dive. If you asked them instead to find the Great Barrier Reef many more divers would be successful and most would say they wanted to dive there. But the Great Barrier Reef is just the western edge of this marvelous chunk of ocean and possibly not the best dive destination in the area albeit the easiest. Open the cover of this fabulous book and you will immediately see what I mean. From New Caledonia in the south, to the Solomon Islands in the east, to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the north, this place is one great dive destination, and more Americans should go exploring there.

But the man who really explored it first with a scuba tank on his back, especially around New Guinea is Bob Halstead , the author of this book and diving legend. Bob was the first full time dive operator in PNG and he has reconnoitered the region systematically and thoroughly. I discovered this book when he pulled it from the shelf in the lounge of the FeBrina, the dive boat on which we were touring the waters north of New Britain out of Walindi bay. Bob was helping me figure out what species we had just seen on our last dive. And that is just what this book is for. It is a catalog of critters, from sharks to shrimps, from anemones to angelfish, from corals to crocodiles grouped together in their scientific families. Each critter has a concise little biography detailing habitat, distribution, reproductive traits and unusual features and each has a truly spectacular photograph, most taken by the author. The photos are close-ups in vivid color with sufficient detail to easily identify the species if you see it underwater. The fishy bios are introduced with the common name, the species name is under the picture for those who like to follow up discovery with more scientific understanding.

Anyone going to this region to dive who cares about seeing more than just sharks and turtles needs to buy this book before they go. Doing so will allow you to determine ahead of time particular species you would like to hunt for and habitats you would like to find. This book will allow you to understand not just experience this rich, wonderful and underappreciated diving destination. And maybe if you are really lucky you will get to dive with Bob Halstead.